Details emerge on Cleveland kidnap suspect's history

Ariel Castro, a 52-year-old former school bus driver suspected of keeping three women captive inside his decrepit house for a decade was charged Wednesday, May 8, 2013 with four counts of kidnapping.(Photo: Cleveland Police Department via AP)

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Cleveland kidnapping and rape suspect Ariel Castro has had several run-ins with police dating back to 1989, police records show, but apparently nothing serious enough to draw suspicion as young women disappeared in his neighborhood a decade ago.

Castro, 52, is a musician and former school bus driver accused of holding three women captive in a west Cleveland house. He could face the death penalty if it's determined he is responsible for the deaths of the victims' unborn children, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy McGinty says.

Castro's run-ins with the law date back to at least Sept. 30, 1989, when common-law wife Grimilda Figueroa called city police from their 98th Street home to report that Castro had assaulted her.

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Jasmina Baldrich happened to witness police entering suspect Ariel Castro's house and started shooting video with her cell phone. Three women were allegedly imprisoned and sexually abused for years inside the padlocked Cleveland house. (May 13)
AP

Figueroa, who had two small children at the time, told police that Castro's brother had come by wanting to go out. When Figueroa asked where they were going, Castro became violent, she told police.

"Suspect slapped the victim several times in the face," the police report said. "Victim tried to get away from the suspect. He then grabbed her and slammed her several times against the wall and several times against the washing machine."

Figueroa ran to the family living upstairs and called police, the report said.

Figueroa, who was treated at the hospital for an injured shoulder, told police Castro had assaulted her on several other occasions but she had not filed complaints.

The outcome of the case, like most other cases involving Castro, was not available. USA TODAY was continuing to learn the disposition of all the cases. Here are some others:

• On Dec. 26, 1993, at the house on Seymour Avenue where Castro is now accused of holding the women, Figueroa told police that a drunken Castro threw her to the ground, hit her in the head and face and kicked her. When Figueroa's son fled the house, Castro chased him, she said.

Figueroa locked Castro out of the house, and he fled when police arrived. The report said officers caught Castro, but a grand jury declined to indict him.

• Castro called police in March 1993 to report an incident involving parents of a bullied child on his school bus. Castro said the parents got on the bus. When he tried to stop them, they pushed him.

The parents said they boarded the bus to stop other children from assaulting their child. Police turned the case over to the Board of Education's security department.

• In November 1994, Castro allegedly threatened the owner of a neighboring property with a shovel. Ernesto Santiago told police he went to check on a rental property next to Castro's on Seymour Avenue because a chain link fence was missing. Castro "became upset ... (and) picked up a shovel and attempted to hit victim with same."

• On May 16, 1996, police charged Castro with menacing on May 16, 1996. Fernando Colon, who was then dating Figueroa, said he had taken her children to the school bus stop. Castro, the children's father, pulled up behind him and got out of his car.

"He told the victim that he had better watch himself," the report said.

Colon got out of his car and tried to talk to Castro, but Castro drove away. Colon told police he thought Castro "would have ran him over if he did not get out of his way," the report said. "This is an ongoing problem."

• In August 1996, a police report says Castro drove to a former neighbor's house, stopped in front of the driveway and screamed out of his car window, "I'm gonna get you, bitch," then drove off. Police again charged Castro with menacing.

• In 2004, Castro and Figueroa reported Colon, then her boyfriend, for molesting two of the couple's daughters. The girls told police that Colon had touched and grabbed them several times. When the girls told their mother, she kicked him out of the house. A few days before the 2005 trial, Figueroa reported Castro again for domestic abuse.

Castro wanted his daughter, then living in Fort Wayne, to return to Cleveland to testify against Colon. The daughter did not want to testify.

Figueroa told police that Castro had threatened to go to Fort Wayne, bring the daughter back and "beat your ass in front of her."

Castro, a 1979 graduate of Lincoln West High School in Cleveland, applied to become a bus driver on Dec. 11, 1990.

"I enjoy working with children," he wrote on his application. "I have a good driving record. I speak English and Spanish. I plan to drive a bus and working with young people."

Cleveland Schools hired him on Feb. 19, 1991. There were problems.

In 2004, police initially charged Castro with child endangerment and abduction after he left a child unattended on his bus.

Castro allegedly picked up the child, a 13-year-old boy, from his home care provider. Castro allegedly escorted another child into school, but left the boy on the bus. When Castro returned to the bus, he drove to Wendy's restaurant and allegedly told the child to "lay down, bitch" while he went into the Wendy's to eat.

Castro allegedly returned to the bus, drove around for a while and then dropped the child off at the original pick up point two hours later. Police found no evidence of sexual or other assault and the case was referred to Board of Education police.

Cleveland Schools suspended Castro for 60 days for leaving the special needs child on the bus. A child abuse and neglect investigation found the child neglect charge to be "unsubstantiated."

Cleveland Schools fired Castro on Nov. 6, 2012 after Castro left his bus open, unattended and parked in the fire lane at school for four hours on Sept. 19, school records show.